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" Part of what makes Last Week Tonight one of the most valuable shows on television is the\u00A0willingness to push segments one step further. Sometimes the writers\u00A0do this with main segments that take some\u00A0digging, topics\u00A0outside of the mainstream media&amp;#039;s typical ratings-grab conversation. Other times, with a joke, like when they created their own televangelist church or a smoking mascot. Last night, they did something a little different, something a little more serious. John Oliver ended a segment about the challenges prisoners face while re-entering society by interviewing an ex-prisoner.\u00A0 Oliver presents this issue just after the country saw the largest concurrent\u00A0release of federal prisoners in history. While\u00A0some news organizations framed the event\u00A0as the government unleashing danger on society, what&amp;#039;s truly terrifying are the barriers prisoners face outside of prison. As Oliver points out, these problems begin\u00A0immediately, when a former-prisoner is essentially dropped in the middle of nowhere with no job, little money, and the clothes on his or her\u00A0back, like one prisoner who only had a $20 gift card. And it just gets worse from there, as there are many state and local bans preventing ex-felons from getting jobs, and parole\u00A0can be\u00A0nearly impossible to navigate. Oliver explains\u00A0that two-thirds of parolees go back to prison for violations that could be as minor as missing appointments.\u00A0 &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s in our best interest that we give them a better chance at success,&amp;quot; said Oliver before introducing Bilal Chatman, a former prisoner, who&amp;#039;s now just a dude trying to live a normal life and grow tomatoes. Watch the whole clip. It&amp;#039;s worth it. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/videos/a39552/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-ex-prisoners/>